Outing the Oligarchy - International Forum on Globalization
Outing the Oligarchy - International Forum on Globalization
Outing the Oligarchy - International Forum on Globalization
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— INDIVIDUALS OF UNDUE INFLUENCE —<br />
ALEXEI KUZMICHEV, RUSSIA<br />
$7.5 BILLION [AS OF MARCH 2011]<br />
Wealth: Alexei Kuzmichev is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> co-owner of Alfa Group with fellow billi<strong>on</strong>aires German Khan and Mikhail<br />
Fridman (see above). He keeps a very low public profile and almost never speaks to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> media. Kuzmichev is<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> chief of A1, a company that manages Alpha Bank’s assets. Kuzmichev is also in charge of negotiating<br />
telecom deals with Nigeria.<br />
Power Networks: In additi<strong>on</strong> to his l<strong>on</strong>g-standing friendship with Khan and Fridman, Kuzmichev counts<br />
billi<strong>on</strong>aire Pyotr Aven am<strong>on</strong>g his closest allies. Aven, who served as Russia’s Minister of Foreign Ec<strong>on</strong>omic<br />
Relati<strong>on</strong>s for two years, now heads <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Alpha Bank and owns <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> country’s largest collecti<strong>on</strong> of Russian art<br />
(although he keeps <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most valuable parts of his collecti<strong>on</strong> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> UK). Former German chancellor, Gerhard<br />
Schroeder, <strong>on</strong>e of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> most recent powerbrokers to join <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Alpha Group board, has well-established political<br />
ties with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.<br />
Envir<strong>on</strong>ment: While inequity and poverty increasingly disrupt <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lives of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> planet’s majority, Moscow has<br />
become known as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> world’s “billi<strong>on</strong>aire capital,” with more than 100 Russian entrepreneurs now claiming<br />
this title. Kuzmichev’s <strong>on</strong>ly s<strong>on</strong>, Alexei, holds sec<strong>on</strong>d place am<strong>on</strong>g a growing brood of Russian “child<br />
billi<strong>on</strong>aires.” With an inheritance of $7.1 billi<strong>on</strong>, Alexei stands behind <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>ly child of Lukoil billi<strong>on</strong>aire<br />
Yusuf Alekperov (worth $10.65 billi<strong>on</strong>) and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> two daughters of RusAL CEO and Basic Element owner<br />
Oleg Deripaska, who are each worth $6.9 billi<strong>on</strong>. According to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Russian magazine Finans, Russia’s ranks of<br />
billi<strong>on</strong>aire offspring increased 50% in 2010, with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir aggregate wealth doubling in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same period. Russia’s<br />
top ten billi<strong>on</strong>aires doubled <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir wealth in 2010. 110<br />
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